Kaelira’s POV
The moment I stepped into the courtyard, the shift was obvious. It wasn’t loud. No open disrespect. No one dared that.
But it was there.
Eyes lingered too long. Conversations dipped when I passed. Shoulders straightened, not out of respect, but awareness.
Judgment.
I kept walking.
Slow and steady like I hadn’t noticed a thing.
Serenya moved beside me, quiet but alert. “It’s spreading faster now,” she muttered under her breath.
“I can see that.”
A group of warriors stood near the training grounds. One of them, young, barely past his first shift, didn’t lower his gaze fast enough when I looked at him.
He held it.
Just for a second.
Then he looked away.
I stopped.
Serenya stiffened slightly. “Kaelira!”
“Wait.”
I turned.
The warriors went still.
I walked toward
